Walls, Fences, Potholes, and Orange Cones:
Overcoming Barriers to Information Age Learning

Is your world always "under construction"? Do you have a good program that you want to make great? It's time to transcend the walls that block success and explore practical ideas to balance the demands of educational standards with the importance of life-long learning, global understanding, high level thinking, and subject matter content. As we rethink our curriculum, let's consider ways to ensure that all children have the information and technology skills they need to be successful today and tomorrow. It's time to jump into the construction zone, grab an orange cone, place it on your head, and lead your school in constructing innovative ways of thinking about teaching and learning.

Below you'll find the text and active links from a presentation on this topic.

Is your world always "under construction"?
Do you have a good program that you want to make great?
Transcend the walls that block success!

Balance
Explore practical ideas to balance:

• educational standards
• life-long learning
• global understanding
• high level thinking
• subject matter content

Lead the Way!

• Jump into the construction zone
• Grab a cone
• Place it on your head
• Lead the way!

Are You Building Barriers?
Address the Fallacies

Testing Myth
Increasing test scores will increase test scores!
The Problems:
“drill and kill”
focusing on the low end
thinking test rather than thinking
low morale… the bar changes
http://www.achieve.org/achieve.nsf/WhyTests_Facts?openform
http://www.mpsaz.org/lindbergh/student_work.html

Skills Myth
Teaching information skills will increase info skills!
The Problems:
“card catalog amnesia”
isolated skills don’t transfer
learning needs a context
http://www.ambleside.schoolzone.co.uk/ambleweb/feelings/feelings.htm
http://wilburnes.wcpss.net/townsley/recycle/recycleindex.html
http://wilburnes.wcpss.net/townsley/recycle/recycle1.html
http://www.eduscapes.com/42explore/
http://www.eduscapes.com/42explore/recycle.htm

“Best Way” Myth
The Problem:
One size fits no one!
http://www.adifferentplace.org/

Address Your Barriers
Time
Expertise
Access
Resources
Support
What barriers are your building?

Is Time A Barrier?
Keep it simple
Add one picture, one slide
Combine standards
Replicate projects
Use Kidspiration across areas
Learn one new skill each time
http://www.ambleside.schoolzone.co.uk/ambleweb/bagpoem/bagpoem.html
http://www.redmond.k12.or.us/patrick/renz/classpoem/deskpoem3_files/frame.htm

Start Small, Grow Tall
Between the Lions TV Program
Book
Kidspiration
KidPix
Start with one and add to it
The Empty Pot, Demi
http://pbskids.org/lions/seed/index.html
http://wilburnes.wcpss.net/campbell/goodseed/kidseed.html
http://wilburnes.wcpss.net/campbell/goodseed/seedpix1.html

Build Foundations
Break down barriers